Woman, 73, died in Grant County last week after car got stuck in snow

CANYON CITY (AP) - A 73-year-old Washington state woman died after she and her 81-year-old sister walked for 12 hours to get help when their car got stuck in an Eastern Oregon snowdrift, a sheriff says.

Stella Adamson and her older sister, Sue Blake, both of Vancouver, were in a Toyota Camry when they got stuck on May 13 on a forest road about 8 miles west of the North Fork Campground in northeast Grant County, Sheriff Glenn Palmer said in a statement.

The women spent a night in the car, then set out at 6 a.m. on May 14 and walked to the campground, where they found Robert Nelson and his wife camping. Nelson, of Cove, is a member of the Union County sheriff's search and rescue unit.

The couple fed and sheltered the exhausted women, turning the table in their camper into a bed. Nelson said he would try to help them retrieve their car the next day.

About 10 that night, Adamson complained of chest pains, Palmer said.

Unable to contact emergency services with a hand-held radio, Nelson drove her to a Baker City hospital, where she was pronounced dead.